December 10, 2002 - 9:53 p.m.

Let me start with pictures. This afternoon, the girls decided to play a game they called "Crazy Hairdos". Personally, I think they are ready for the hairstyling team of the next Star Trek movie! Yesterday, I threw caution to the wind, and let the kids paint with their feet. Yes, you read that right, with their feet. The preparation - newspaper on the floor, paper plates spread with paint, bucket of soapy water to step into when finished - didn't take that long, and it was worth every minute. They had a blast! Surprisingly B (the boy) seemed a bit unnerved by the sensation fo paint between his toes and didn't last long. The girls really got into it, though, and totally smeared the paper - to the point that it got slippery. They each fell down once, which only added to the giggles. Not an everyday activity, but very good for a cold, snowy Monday! It's an odd thing about working with wee ones: so much depends on your outlook. If you can keep it positive, silly, and encouraging, you can get a kid to do almost anything. However, once you've lost your temper (and the kid sees the power he/she has over your emotions) you have to be very careful or it'll all be downhill! I experienced both sides today. On the way out to take the rugrats to school, B wanted to wear shoes rather than snowboots - not possible, and I told him so. So he decided to kick off the boots as soon as I put them on him. Argh, think I, starting to raise my voice. Aha, thinks he, I've got her now, she's getting angry! A power struggle commenced, and ended only when he was distracted by one of the girls. Later in the day, when it was time to go upstairs for his nap (which he is almost always reluctant to do), I asked him if he could beat me to the top of the steps. Little feet scampering up the stairs forthwith and nary a threat from me. Unfortunately, it's hard to remember when a child is using her prodigious imagination to find a way to get your goat. But the more I remind myself of what works, the more likely I'll be to actually think of it when the time comes. :) The tree is up, and I only spent a little over 30 minutes on the lights! My room has that lovely smell, and I get to look at loads of ornaments that remind me of various childhood Christmases. I love the holidays!

today's project: handprint Christmas trees

musing about: what item of the approximately 100 on my ToDo list to tackle first

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